Pencil, Paper, and Passion.

Chapter Eighteen: Together.

          The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, with Charlotte trying her best to get me alone and Ben or Mr. Avery interceding every time.  I tried to feel sorry for her, but the frustration in her expression was highly amusing.  By the time lunch came around, I was almost sure that I could see steam coming from her ears.  Laughing quietly, I let myself into Ben's classroom and shut the door.

            "What's so funny?" He asked, looking up from the papers on his desk.

            "Charles." I grinned at him, moving to sit on the edge of his desk.  "She's about to blow."

            He shook his head, lips twitching.  "She's very tenacious.  Any other time, we'd let her grill you, but we can't risk having you in any empty hallways or rooms.  It's too dangerous."

            "Yeah." I sighed, straightening away from the desk.  "Anyway, I'm going to get to work."

            Before I could walk away, Ben grabbed my hand and pulled me down into his lap.  "Hold on a second.  I've been wanting to do this all day."

            "Ben, wait, we can't.  Not here.  Ben-!" His lips cut off my protests, effectively silencing me.  My mind instantly clicked off and I pressed myself against him, twisting my fingers into his hair.  He nipped at my lower lip, making me gasp and give him the entrance he wanted.  Our tongues twined together and his hands tunneled up the back of my shirt.  The feel of his fingers dancing across my bare skin caused me to shiver and I tightened my fingers in his hair.

            He made a sound against my lips and I immediately let go of his hair and pulled away, thinking I'd hurt him.  "I'm sorry!"

            Ben stared at me incredulously before bursting into laughter. "Christ, Elizabeth.  You didn't hurt me."

            I shifted in his lap, trying to find a more comfortable position.  "But you made that sound when I-." I cut myself off and stilled in his lap.  Apparently, neither of us were going to be comfortable until I moved entirely.  I scrambled from his lap, blushing, as he watched me with amusement.  I stammered, "I j-just thought that when you- well."

            "Elizabeth," He stood from his desk chair, smiling.  "You didn't hurt me.  I think we're both very aware of how you affected me."

            "Yes, well, I felt- Hm." I closed my eyes, feeling my face redden even further.

            I felt Ben's hands cup my face and I opened my eyes to see him smiling wickedly at me.  "Felt what?"

            I pressed my lips together, refusing to answer, as embarrassment coursed through me.  It wasn't that I was ignorant of what happened to a man's body when he was aroused; it was just that I'd never felt it, firsthand, under my bottom.  I'd also never imagined that I'd be arousing my Chemistry teacher, in his class room.  As a result, I didn't know exactly what to do with myself, other than to be extremely self-conscious and/or mortified.  So, I kept my silence, hoping to retain at least a small shred of my dignity.

            Ben chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead.  "Go clean out the closet, Elizabeth."

            I nodded, turning on my heel and heading straight into the closet without a word.  I didn't trust myself to speak, lest I humiliate myself once again.  Upon entering, I realized that Ben had done some of the cleaning up while I'd been at home, recovering.  Most of the papers had been picked up and had either been thrown or filed away.  There was really only one section, in the corner, of the closet left to clean.  After that, it was simply a matter of organizing the shelves, which would take only a few days.  Smiling to myself, I moved further into the closet and quickly got to work.